Noiseless railway-crossing.



M. FUJIURA.

NOISELESS RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLKCATION FILED SEPT. 18. 1917.

1 ,275,240. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

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MQFUJIURA.

.NOISELESS RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 18, 1917- Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

'2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

allullllllv NOISELESS RAILWAY-CROSSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 18, 1917. Serial No. 191,923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MOTOI FUJIURA, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing in the city and county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and useful Noiseless Railway-Crossing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to noiseless railway crossings, and is designed as an improvement on the device shown and described in my application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed November 23, 1916, Serial Number 133,079.

The object of this invention is to provide a railway crossing in which a continuous rail will be presented to the moving car, thereby minimizing the vibration and noise due to the passing of the car thereon.

The objects of the invention are attained by providing means for bridging the gaps in the rail treads formed for passage of the wheel flanges, and means for throwing the bridging means into and out of the operative position, thus making the rails temporarily contiguous for a passing train or car.

Other objects and advantages may appear from the subjoined detail description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a railway crossing embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary and sectional view taken longitudinally of one crossing rail; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary and sectional view of the opposite end of the rail shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of an actuating lever; Fig. 5 is a perspectivedetail view of a supporting chair 7 for a tripping member; Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view of a tripping member; Fig. 7 is a perspective detail View of the bridging block; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a slightly modified form taken along one of the crossing rails; Fig. 9 is a fragmental and sectional view taken generally on the line 9-9, of Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is a fragmental view of a modified form having a pivoted depressible actuating member; the bridging block being shown in inoperative position.

Referring to the drawings, the crossing comprises the rails 11, 12, 13, 14, having, at the intersections thereof, the usual channels for the passage of the car wheel flanges, and means to bridge the gaps thus formed, so that the noise and shock incident to the ordinary railway crossing, is eliminated.

The bridging blocks 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 2Q, 21, 22 are approximately of the form shown in Fig. 7, and, as the forms shown in Figs. 1 to 9, inclusive, are'identical, like reference characters are applied to similar parts.

The bridging blocks have concave arcuate bottom faces 23, and top faces 24, corre sponding with the tread of the rails, and are slidably mounted in slots in the rails. The tripping blocks25, are provided with arcuate upper faces 26, engaging in the operative position with bottoms 23, of the bridging blocks. Tripping blocks 25, are pivotally mounted on pins 27 fixed to the web of the crossing rail, and have curved arcuate bottoms '28, engaging in operative position, with corresponding curved faces- 29, in the supporting chairs 30. As the trip-- ping blocks are swung toinop erative p0sition, the plns 31, thereon, engage with lugs 32, on the bridging blocks, which are there by drawn out of operative position. The

bridging blocks would drop by gravity to inoperative position upon movement of the tripping blocks to inoperative position, but their movement is made positive by the op eration of pins 31 and lugs 32.

Means for actuating the tripping blocks:

25, for instance, beneath the bridging blocks 15, 16, comprise the actuating bar 33, sliding longitudinally beneath the tread of the rail, and having slots 34, engaging with lugs 35, on the tripping blocks. The arrangement is such that movement of the bar 33 in one direction will actuate theftripping blocks to operative position, and movement of the bar in the other direction will actuate the tripping blocks to inoperative position.

Means for actuating the bar 33, comprise the depressible member-s36, 37, actuated by the flange of a car wheel. passing thereon, and connected to the bar 33 by bell crank levers 38. Supplementary bell crank levers 39, are connected to the members 36, 37, and.

by links 40, to levers 38,.whereby vertical movement of the depressible members is transmitted to the actuating bar. Bell crank levers 38, 39, swing respectively, upon pivot points 41, 42, fixed to the inner rail flange 43. The bars 33 are provided with rollers 44 engaging with the lower flange of rail 11, so that they will move easily to actuate the tripping blocks.

The tripping blocks 45, which support the bridging blocks 19, 20, 21, 22, are actuated Patented Aw. 13,1918. F

trippingblocks. to inoperative position, a

by the bars 46, which are offset relative to bars 33, controlling tripping blocks25, and bridging blocks 15, 16, 17, 18. The holes in the tripping blocks which engage with the pivot pins 27, are slightly elongated so that in the operative position the tripping blocks will rest firmly in their supporting chairs, and form with the bridging blocks, a solid and rigid support for the ear wheels between contiguous sections of a rail.

Each actuating bar is provided with a toothed rack, and pinion 41-7, in mesh therewith, and so. arranged that the movement of an actuating bar will cause a simultaneous movement of a corresponding transversely disposed actuating bar; the arrangement of levers and tripping blocks being such that one set of bridging blocks is shifted to operative position to form continuous rails in one direction, while the other set of bridging blocks are withdrawn to. inoperative position to produce passable cuts in the rails in the cross direction. The detail views, Figs. 2 and 10, show the tripping and bric ging blocks in the inoperative position.

The operation of the device may be understood from Fig. 8. A car wheel approaching the crossing in the direction indicated by the arrow, will engage with and depress the member 37, which has an inclined face 4:8

to engage the wheel flange, so that the move-e ment of member 37 will be gradual. or relatively progressive.

which in turn actuate the bar 33. The movement of bar to the left will actuate the id bridging blocks 15, 16, will thereby be drawn to inoperative position. Simultaneously with the movement of bar 33, the adjacent transverse bar &6 willbe actuated, causing the tripping blocks to assume the operative position beneath bridging blocks 19, 20, which are thereby supported in operative position flush with contiguous rail sections to form continuous rails in one direction. The movement of the remaining bridging blocks and tripping blocks is eitected in a similar manner, so as to present continuous rails to the advancing oar wheels. Upon actuation of the parts as described, they will remain in position until. again actuated by car wheels approaching on the cross rails.

It is obvious that the actuating bars may be extended. so as to operate the bridging members for any number of tracks, and the actuating bars may be simultaneously ops.

In moving down,'t l'1emember 37 w1ll actuate the levers 38, 39,'

erated when placed at various angles relative to one another. The moving parts are few and cooperate to form a rigid means for bridging the gaps in the rails of a crossing.

From the foregoing it may be seen that the car wheels are firmly supported as would be the case with continuous rails. The reversal of position of the parts is-progressive as the wheel flanges progressively transverse the inclined faces of the primary actuating members. The use of springs is obviated, therefore the slam of the parts to inoperative position after passage of the car wheels, is eliminated.

In the modified form shown in g 10, the primary actuating member 50. is pivotally mounted on pin 51, and, through bell crank lever 52, moves the actuating bar 33. The

remainder of the construction is similar to,

rails, tilting blocks adapted to, support the,

bridging blocks, movable bars to actuate the tiltin blocks to ODBI'FttlVG and ino aerative position, toothed racks fixed to angularly disposed adjacent bars, and pinions in cooperative relation with said racks, whereby when one set of bridging blocks are supported in. operative position, the set of bridging blocks for the crossing rails are depressed.-

:2. In a railway crossing, the combination with crossed rails having gaps in the treads at the intersections, of blocks, adapted to bridge the gaps and provide tread stn't'aces,

said bridging blocks being vertically slidable in slots. in the rails, tiltable blocks pivotally? mounted beneath the bridging blocks,.

and supporting the bridging blocks in the upright position, means operated by the wheels of a car to tilt the supporting blocks to an inoperative position, including depressible members, pivoted levers supporting the depressible members, barsslidably mounted beneath the tiltable blocks and pivoted levers and actuated thereby, and rack and pinion connections between angularly disposed actuating bars.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atfix my signature this 12th day of September, in the year 1917.

MOTOI FUJIURA. Witnesses:

EDWARD M. KoJIMA, S. HATAYE.

Copies; of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner oi? Patents,

Washington, DC. 

